Topline
Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he’s considering Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as a potential running mate, adding the conservative hardliner to his growing list of potential picks as he moves closer to securing the GOP presidential nomination.
Key Facts
Abbott is “absolutely” on Trump’s shortlist, he told Fox News during an interview alongside the Texas governor at the southern border Thursday, calling him a “spectacular man” who has “done a great job.”
Trump has also mentioned his former GOP primary opponents Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), along with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (R-Hawaii) when asked about his potential running mates, telling Fox News during a town hall last month “they’re all solid,” while singling out Scott, who was in the audience, as a “great advocate.”
Others commonly floated among pundits and press right now include Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), former South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Trump has also name-dropped McMaster and Stefanik, one of the first members of Congress to endorse him and a staunch promoter of his unfounded election fraud claims, calling her a “killer” when asked about his potential running mate picks at a dinner at Mar-A-Lago in December, NBC News reported.
Crucial Quote
Trump previously told Fox Business the top criteria for a VP pick is someone who could “be a good president . . . in case of emergency,” adding that he won’t announce a decision for “a little while.”
Surprising Fact
Donald Trump Jr. recently made the longshot suggestion that his father could tap former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, telling Newsmax, “I would love to see that happen.” Trump has also fanned the Carlson rumors, telling podcast hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton in November, “I guess I would consider him.” Carlson, who once texted a confidant that he “hate[s Trump]
passionately,” has since rekindled his relationship with the former president, interviewing him in a counter-program that aired during the first GOP primary debate Trump snubbed and endorsing him for president. Carlson, however, has dismissed the possibility of serving as Trump’s running mate, telling Megyn Kelly in a podcast interview last month a career in politics was “unimaginable.”
Contra
Several of the candidates have clear downsides. Stefanik represents a solidly blue state that Trump almost certainly can’t win. Noem is embroiled in scandal over accusations she had an affair with former Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski. Trump has openly feuded with Ramaswamy on the campaign trail, urging his supporters not to vote for him and declaring he “is not MAGA” just days before the Iowa caucuses. He also disparaged DeSantis for months, casting him as disloyal for running against him and coining the nickname “DeSanctimonious” to refer to his one-time protégé. Lake comes with significant baggage as she has refused to acknowledge she lost the Arizona gubernatorial race following a campaign centered on Trump’s 2020 own election fraud claims. And Scott broke with Trump’s GOP allies in Congress and voted to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, dropped out of the GOP presidential race in October, and has had a frayed relationship with his former boss after Trump urged him not to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Pence has claimed Trump asked him to “choose between him and the Constitution.” Trump has countered that Pence is “delusional.”
What To Watch For
Sixteen states and territories will hold their primaries Tuesday, what’s known as Super Tuesday.
Key Background
Trump appears poised to clinch the nomination after decisive victories in the first five primary contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and Michigan. Ramaswamy and DeSantis dropped out of the race after Iowa and endorsed Trump, but former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has vowed to stay in the contest at least until Super Tuesday on March 5. Trump has been balancing his campaign activity with courtroom appearances in his various legal battles, one of which ended last month in a $350 million judgment against him and his companies. He has used his four criminal indictments and various civil cases to cast his 2024 bid as retribution for what he claims is a justice system corrupted by Democrats seeking to block him from winning a second term.
